Hundreds attend meeting in support of marine sanctuary

The meeting started with a dull roar and ended with a loud bang.

More than 300 area residents — from politicians and business owners to lake enthusiasts and history buffs — attended a public scoping meeting Tuesday to give input about the proposed national marine sanctuary designation along Lake Michigan's shoreline from Two Rivers to Mequon.

"This is neat to see so many citizens from Manitowoc and Two Rivers here in support of this," Manitowoc Mayor Justin Nickels said. "The reason is (because) this is who we are. The reason we're here today is because of that Great Lake right next to us."

Officials said the goal was to have standing-room-only attendance. The Wisconsin Maritime Museum's Riverview Room where the meeting was held was filled to capacity. The overflow room for livestreaming the meeting was full. And some people had to stand, too.

"This room is filled tonight and the whole museum is filled because this proposed ... national marine sanctuary resonates in this community," Two Rivers City Manager Greg Buckley said. "We want to share the story of our Great Lake and its relationship with our natural environment, our history, our local economy and our culture with visitors near and far. We want the sanctuary to become part of the fabric and essence of these communities."

The proposed 875-square-mile sanctuary includes 39 known shipwrecks, 15 of which are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

"This section of Lake Michigan was a critical early transportation corridor. It really was central to the expansion of the United States," said John Broihahn, state archaeologist with the Wisconsin Historical Society. "There is a nice variety ... of wrecks in this particular area. Remarkably, 14 of these wrecks essentially are intact. These wrecks have a high degree of architectural integrity. They also have a good deal of archaeological integrity."

Designation of the area as a sanctuary — referred to by NOAA as the Wisconsin-Lake Michigan resource area — would focus on protecting and interpreting the shipwrecks, fostering local and regional partners through research and public education, and increasing opportunities for tourism and related economic development, a news release stated.

Reed Bohne, Northeast and Great Lakes regional director for NOAA, said the scoping meetings — also being held in Sheboygan and Port Washington — are offered to give the public a chance to share their opinions about the marine sanctuary.

"We're scoping out the interest in the community of what they would like to see in terms of the sanctuary should it be designated in this area," he said. "We anticipate (the process) will take two to three years and are very hopeful we can move with some dispatch in this regard because we have such an energetic and committed community looking forward to this possibility."

Two Rivers area shipwrecks explored

More than 30 community members spoke in support of the sanctuary during Tuesday's meeting in addition to the many written comments that were submitted.

"All of our students, from 4-year-olds through 12th grade, are provided with vast learning opportunities of various disciplines tied to the rich maritime history and conservation and preservation of our land and water," said Lisa Quistorf, Two Rivers Public School District administrator. "The establishment of a national marine sanctuary would enhance educational programming like no other. The possibilities are not only exciting, they are endless."

The next step for NOAA is to develop a draft management plan and environmental impact statement for the sanctuary. More public meetings will be scheduled once those items are published with another public comment period.

"The Great Lakes Maritime Task Force supports the establishment of this sanctuary, provided provision is made to allow safe and efficient waterborne commerce to continue through these waters," Mark Ruge said while representing the coalition for those using the lakes commercially. "We hope it's crafted in a way that allows existing operations to work through the sanctuary. What a shame it would be if this was crafted in a way that celebrated maritime heritage but injured those maritime operators who are in business today."

Lake Michigan Carferry Executive Vice President Don Clingan said through discussions with Nickels and Maritime Museum CEO Rolf Johnson, many of his concerns for the S.S. Badger were alleviated.

"The mayor and his staff listened to our concerns and gave us a lot of assurance that it was going to be very possible for us to continue the commercial shipping element here in Manitowoc while also preserving the history and maritime heritage," he said. "We're so excited to be part of this community, and the tremendous turnout here tonight is indicative of how powerful a small community can be to really pursue a worthwhile cause."

Lee Luft, Kewaunee County Board member, was supportive of the sanctuary, too, but wants to see its boundaries extended even farther north.

"We think it would be phenomenal for this area, including Kewaunee," he said, adding Kewaunee County also has a number of shipwrecks including two recently added to the National Register of Historic Places. "(NOAA is) going to be getting lots of letters from Kewaunee organizations and Kewaunee civic groups and also from some of the city councils."

Local support also will likely impact where NOAA bases its sanctuary management staff if the designation proceeds as expected.

"When you look at those shipwrecks, they had a destination. What I love are the stories behind what those ships were doing, what they were carrying, the men and women who lost their lives because of what they were trying to do," Nickels said. "This city was built because of the opportunities that lake provided us. It's about preserving our history. It's telling that story to the next generation, because that lake preceded us, and it's going to live a lot longer than any one of us."

After the meeting ended, but before anyone could leave, Johnson yelled to the crowd, "It ain't over yet!"

The sounding of the USS Cobia submarine's horn signaled the start of a fireworks show from its deck.

"We are so excited to be working with you," Bohne said. "We've got a lot of work ahead, but boy with this passion, we're going to do great things."

Reach Sarah Kloepping at 920-686-2105 or skloepping@htrnews.com

Share your opinions

The public comment period will remain open until Jan. 15.

To provide a comment online, visit www.regulations.gov and enter "NOAA-nos-2015-0112" in the search box.

A public meeting was held Nov. 18 at Wilson House in Port Washington while another public meeting is set for 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., Nov. 19, at the University of Wisconsin-Sheboygan main building, 1 University Drive, Wombat Room (2114).